Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
She didn’t care about the cold. She didn’t care if frostbite took a toe. He’d come for her. They’d all come, somehow knowing this would happen without her knowing it herself. She’d been so careful.
She’d been outgunned.
The sound of boulders moving was his shifting, and then the hood was ripped off her head by the huge gargoyle-monster towering over her. His touch was gentle for a creature so large and powerful as he turned her. A finger slipped between her wrists delicately before a vicious yank sliced the zip tie away with a claw. His muscular arms came around her again, and then they were airborne.
Jessie
Tristan flung me toward the group of mages carrying Sebastian to a row of three vans. They only had about ten feet to go. Tristan took off with a burst of speed, spying a couple other mages going in the opposite direction with what must’ve been Nessa. Our other gargoyles, carrying the shifters and their speed no match for Tristan’s, were on their way, going as fast as they could. I needed to stall until they got here.
I swooped down at the ten or so people, a spell at the ready. They’d probably be powerful, having to deal with a mage like Sebastian. Barely in range and I let fly, wanting to get the jump on them before they put up their defenses. My spell hit the two people at the rear, thankfully walking close together. Part of it cracked into one of their shoulders, severing a limb. The other hit farther down—the same effect, if less of the limb.
They screamed, knocked sideways. Being mages, they didn’t try to keep fighting. Instead, they wrapped magic around themselves and crumpled to the ground, rolling and twisting within their pain.
The other mages turned in my direction, but they didn’t look up. These mages must not have been at Kingsley’s and weren’t used to fliers. That, or they were slow to think of the possibility when on strictly mage business.
I hit another one with a lot of power, close now. It cut through him. He barely had time to scream before he hit the ground. My wings beat quickly, making far too much sound. I wasn’t good at gliding like the male gargoyles.
Spells jetted through the night sky, right for me. I banked, wrapping myself in a protective layer, and fired one of my own. It missed, striking the ground. A spell hit my shield, and then two more. The magic singed my defensive layer, definitely powerful.
I banked again, shooting another spell and then dodging one of theirs. A second spell struck me, though, then a third, hammering at my defenses. I fired, thought of a blistering spell that didn’t need as much power, and fired again. Another spell went down, but there were still six more mages. One hustled Sebastian to the van while the others shot spell after intense spell, slamming into me.
My stomach tightened as I dove and then cut right, firing as fast as I could. The flight path helped—they were not used to a moving target—but not enough. Their spells cut chunks out of my defensive layer now. Magic burrowed past and slashed at my tough skin. I took a moment to reapply a stronger defensive shield, giving them that moment to fill my world with jets of magic.
Breathing heavy now, I climbed for distance, still firing. I had more power. At a distance, I could still do damage where theirs wouldn’t be so great. It took more energy, though.
I fired, thought of a simpler and easier spell, and fired again. Their spells still reached me, not digging through my defenses but still sapping my energy and therefore my strength. I fluttered in the air, and they rushed for their vans, leaving their fallen behind.
If they took off, I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Not without Tristan or someone flying me.
Damn it, where was Tristan?
My heart sped up as I worried he might be in trouble, or that he couldn’t get Nessa. Or that Nessa was already lost.
Choking back fear, I dove again, firing at the mages pausing to get into their vans. They returned fire. One door closed. A mage fell, but another got in. I wasn’t strong enough to blast through metal, and I couldn’t see them within the glass at this angle.
Closer still, as I decided what to do, the sound of wings filled my world. Snarls and roars preceded shifters running toward the vans, led by Austin. The gargoyles must’ve dropped them off before rushing to me. Someone grabbed me and the others surrounded me.
Help had come.
Sebastian
He came to with a crick in his neck, then picked up his head and winced at the stiffness of his body. His hands had been zip-tied behind him and his elbows secured with rope to the sides of a wooden chair. His feet were likewise tied up.